The SECRETS within

ASHLEY JENSEN and ALISON O'DONNELL on Ruth and Tosh's complex new case

- STEVEN PERKINS

SHETLAND

NEW WED, 9PM, BBC1 DRAMA

The disturbing murder of a retired social worker unravels a web of deceit in a remote hamlet as BBC1's hit crime thriller Shetland returns for its 10th series.

Priding themselves on looking out for each other, the residents of (fictional) Lunniswick are left in turmoil after Colin Waite (Guilt star Greg McHugh) discovers that his elderly neighbour Eadie Tulloch has been killed.

However, when DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen) and DI Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh (Alison O'Donnell) start investigating, it becomes clear that the tiny community is more fractured than any of the locals would willingly admit.

Things take a further intriguing turn when the duo discover that the victim was an old friend of their colleague Sergeant Billy McCabe (Lewis Howden), who's devastated to learn of her death. But just how deeply did his connection to Eadie run?

TV Times sat down with Ashley, 56, who joined the show in Series 8, and original cast member Alison, 42, for an exclusive chat to find out more...

What can we expect from the new six-part run?

ASHLEY I would say this is my favourite series so far. Cleverly, the writers have interwoven the police within the case, and that's given us all something very interesting to play. Everyone has got some kind of emotional investment which shakes their world a wee bit.